TRETTHD 62

#62. But Is He Really Any Different?

She had vaguely thought that there might be a time when she would run into him.

But that was imagining seeing Erze by Raoul’s side—not a scene like this.

The moment Belia spotted Erze standing next to Khalid, a grim premonition swept over her: once again, she would lose everything to this woman.

“Belia. Focus.”

Now was not the time to sink into despair. There were matters to resolve, and time was short.

Belia closed her eyes tightly, gathering all the dark emotions inside her, and then opened them again. With a calm demeanor, she walked toward them and spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Khalid, were you speaking with a guest?”

“Oh, Belia. I was just about to come find you.”

“Is that so? I actually had something to discuss with you too.”

Belia smiled faintly, and Khalid returned the gesture, pointing to Erze by his side.

“This is the daughter of Baron Kinetra.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Erze Kinetra. Our family is in charge of the flower delivery, so I came along!”

Was the flower delivery really handled by the Kinetra household? Belia recalled the documents she had seen, which clearly listed a different person as responsible. Her gaze narrowed, and Erze flinched, hurriedly explaining.

“Ah! Originally, Baron Shapin was supposed to handle the delivery, but he’s unwell, so we came instead. Flower cultivation is a joint effort among three families, including ours and the Shapins.”

If Belia had spotted the Kinetra name on the documents, she might have anticipated meeting Erze. But since it was a joint venture and the flowers delivered to the bazaar were only leftovers, she hadn’t bothered to study the business structure in detail.

She had not expected to encounter Erze at all.

Moreover, Belia, having been trapped in the Empress’s palace, could hardly have known what kind of life Erze had led—making this meeting all the more surprising.

Still, Belia did not show her inner turmoil. She greeted Erze warmly, maintaining a pleasant demeanor.

“I see. Thank you for delivering such beautiful flowers. They’ve made the bazaar even more lovely.”

“Oh, no! Really… We were all worried because there were so many leftover flowers, but thanks to you, Princess, everyone can rest easy. Thank you so much!”

Erze blushed as she waved her hands in greeting. She had done nothing wrong. Yet that did nothing to erase Belia’s anger and unease.

‘Of course not.’

Belia scoffed silently. Not wanting to linger in conversation with her, she gently but firmly drew a line and shifted the topic.

“I’ll send letters to each family later to thank them for using their carefully cultivated flowers for such a good cause. But we have a bit of an urgent matter right now…”

“Is it about this?”

Belia turned toward Khalid, who had interrupted, and he smiled broadly, pointing to an item held by a servant.

It was undoubtedly the magical tool sponsored by Marquis Caprie. Belia blinked in surprise.

“How did it…?”

“The young lady of the Kinetra family was preparing to leave and noticed an item that didn’t belong to her family, so she came to return it.”

Belia looked at Erze in surprise. The girl scratched her cheek bashfully.

“It’s only natural to return something that isn’t ours.”

“Thank you. You saved me a lot of trouble.”

“No, really! I was worried it might cause trouble since it was our mistake.”

Erze’s bright, innocent smile was unchanged from when they first met—cheerful, pure, and utterly lovable. She was the opposite of Belia: lively, bright, and unmistakably charming.

Belia watched her, conflicted, and instructed the servants to quickly move the item to the auction hall before turning away.

“…The auction will end soon. Could you wait until then? I’d like to properly thank you.”

“Of course!”

“I’ll go ahead then.”

Belia also needed to inform Susan and Rachel about the magical tool, but she didn’t want Khalid and Erze to be together any longer than necessary. Seeing her hesitation, Khalid reassured her.

“Do what you must. I’ll take care of Miss Kinetra.”

He had clearly stepped in to help, but that only annoyed Belia more. He could usually be so indifferent to others—why was he different with Erze?

‘…I hate myself for thinking this way.’

Only a few days had passed since she had reassured herself that he could be trusted, yet now, just seeing Erze made her suspicious.

Belia chose her words carefully, thanked him briefly, and left.

“Belia. Watch closely. That woman will be my empress.”

Stop.

“The one I truly love isn’t you, it’s Erze. So step back.”

Stop.

“I hope you just die, Belia.”

Stop!

Belia froze in place. Raoul’s whispered words circled around her like a curse, relentless and suffocating. She clutched her chest and exhaled sharply several times.

“It’s okay.”

It would be okay. Belia reminded herself that it was more important to tackle the immediate problem than to worry about what hadn’t happened yet. She straightened herself, wrapping herself in a stronger armor to hide her rotting inner darkness and protect her wounded heart.

After the artists’ auction ended, the items from the nobles, which everyone had been quietly anticipating, were finally brought out—jewels, rare furniture, and art pieces.

Thanks to Erze finding the magical tool sponsored by Marquis Caprie, the event proceeded without a hitch.

‘Thank goodness.’

It was the first big event she had organized, attracting a lot of attention. Losing a magical tool at this stage could have made all her efforts meaningless.

Even if she disliked Erze and found her unsettling, without the girl’s help, the situation would have been difficult, and a proper expression of gratitude was only natural.

“It’s truly fortunate.”

“The young lady of the Kinetra family saved the day.”

Watching the auction proceed smoothly, Susan and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief.

The auction moved quickly, and finally, the magical tool from Marquis Caprie appeared. It sparked the fiercest competition yet.

‘Honestly, I didn’t expect this item to appear.’

It wasn’t a magical tool with immense power, but it was extremely useful in certain situations.

The small box from Marquis Caprie had a locking enchantment: once something was placed inside and the spell activated, no one could open it but the user. It could only be used once.

‘Could Khalid need it someday?’

Even though it was a one-time use, it seemed tempting. Belia unconsciously turned her gaze to find Khalid.

She caught sight of him standing beside Erze. They were simply watching the auction, but the sight alone wounded Belia. She quickly averted her eyes.

‘Khalid’s fine. He’s not Raoul…’

But.

Is he really any different?

Her heart felt increasingly distant and unsettled.

Rachel, who had stayed to help clean up, approached Belia.

“Princess, everything’s finished.”

“Thank you for staying so late.”

“No, it was fun!”

Rachel raised her arms cheerfully.

“Thank you for saying that, Rachel,” Belia replied sincerely.

Just then, someone approached the two of them.

“Princess Belia,”

It was Marquis Caprie.

“Today’s event was truly enjoyable.”

“You flatter me. I feel bad for troubling your daughter so much.”

“Hahaha, not at all. My daughter wanted to help.”

The Marquis spoke politely. Rachel looked anxious about her father’s words.

“Besides, my daughter will likely rely on you a lot in the future, so I wanted to properly thank you myself, even if it’s somewhat forward of me to say so now.”

“Oh, I’m the one who’s always receiving help.”

“Thank you for saying so, Princess.”

Marquis Caprie owned fertile lands in the south and several gem mines, and also wielded influence in central politics. Gaining him as an ally could be a tremendous advantage.

In her past life, he had remained neutral when Raoul ascended to the throne, neither supporting nor opposing him.

“I hope I can meet with the Marquis more often in the future.”

Belia’s meaningful words received only a polite nod, and the Marquis departed with Rachel.

‘Not yet, I guess.’

Belia exhaled softly, watching them leave, then turned to the most pressing matter.

“Miss Kinetra.”

“Princess!”

Belia approached Erze, who was awkwardly standing near Khalid, and spoke kindly.

“I’m sorry it got so late. I made you wait longer than expected.”

“No! It’s really fine…”

Erze fidgeted nervously, then glanced at Belia and bowed deeply, startled.

“Thank you for everything today. You helped me avoid a difficult situation, so I want to repay you. If there’s anything you want, please tell me.”

Belia just wanted to finish this quickly and avoid seeing Erze again. She considered the girl someone with no lasting connection—once properly thanked, today could be dismissed as a mere incident.

“I’m really fine…”

Belia encouraged her to speak freely with a smile, and Erze clutched her wriggling fingers and whispered softly.

“Well, if… the owner of the palace permits, I heard that I might be allowed to stay in the palace for a few days…”

Even through the faint, hesitant words, Belia clearly understood.

“…Excuse me?”

Belia blinked in surprise, but Erze lifted her head and met Belia’s eyes, now speaking clearly and decisively.

“Could I have the opportunity to stay in the palace for a few days?”